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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0556 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Projects Not People

Organize around outcomes and projects rather than fixed org-chart roles.

Strategy·Mental Model·Grade B·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Organize around outcomes and projects rather than fixed org-chart roles.

Plain-English Definition

Organize around outcomes and projects rather than fixed org-chart roles.

Feynman Explanation

Reorgs are theater. Project assignments are reality.

Core Principle

Organize around outcomes and projects rather than fixed org-chart roles.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Organize around outcomes and projects rather than fixed org-chart roles.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Talent fluidity in fast-changing markets.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Reorgs are theater. Project assignments are reality.

Examples

Everyday
  • Lean and agile teams formed around bets, dissolved on completion.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Talent fluidity in fast-changing markets.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Refresh project portfolios quarterly; let roles follow work, not the other way around.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Talent fluidity in fast-changing markets.
Amplifying Incentives
Talent fluidity in fast-changing markets.
Org Failure Modes
Talent fluidity in fast-changing markets.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Refresh project portfolios quarterly; let roles follow work, not the other way around.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Refresh project portfolios quarterly; let roles follow work, not the other way around.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Refresh project portfolios quarterly; let roles follow work, not the other way around.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-COG-0556 · COG
Projects Not People
PNWL3-Way Life Optimizat…ACAdaptive ChallengeADAdvantageous Diverge…APAgent ProvocateurAOArt of WarAWAsymmetric WarfareBaBackcastingCoCounterinsurgencyCoCounterpropagandaCFCynefin Framework

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.